


Dancing with the Devil (Tom Ellis x OC)

by MiyakoNanashi



Category: Actor RPF, Lucifer (TV), Real Person Fiction
Genre: Alternate Reality, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, F/M, Friendship/Love, Love Triangles, Love/Hate, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, RPF
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:34:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27506158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiyakoNanashi/pseuds/MiyakoNanashi
Summary: 'Tom was there, where he didn't even wanted to be & he didn't know if it was because he wanted to take refuge in the woman's arms or if he wanted to inveigh against that woman, who was clearly ruining his life;'
Relationships: Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV)/Original Female Character(s), Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV)/Reader, Tom Ellis/Original Female Character(s), Tom Ellis/Other(s), Tom Ellis/Reader
Comments: 7
Kudos: 9





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ASweetDisaster23](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ASweetDisaster23/gifts).



She turned on the light, looking around bewildered.  
It was just three in the morning and she had slept only a couple of hours since the driver left her in front of the porch of her house.  
She got out of bed, shivering, and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders before running downstairs.  
The knocks on the door became louder and more insistent as she approached and with them her anxiety also grew. Something serious must have happened.

She stood up on tiptoe to look through the peephole, unable to make out the figure, who was standing at the door in the pitch black night.

“I know you are there! Open the door, damn it!"

The woman closed her eyes instinctively, leaning her forehead against the still closed door.

She would pretend nothing had happened. She wouldn't even turn on the living room light, she would only go back upstairs without making the slightest noise and sooner or later he would leave.

“Fuck! Open this door!"

The knocks became strong punches and judging by the creak of the wood, they also had to be accompanied by some kicks.  
At the same instant she recognized the barking of the neighbors dog and the voice of the old man living there, who was already looking out the window to see what was going on. He would call the police, that was for sure.

"Okay, do you want me to break in? Should I really break in?"

The woman had no doubt that the man would carry out his threat. She took a deep breath and resigned herself to opening the door.

“Shit… Are you crazy? Stop that!"

"You thought it was that simple right!"

The woman took a step back from the the man's fury and instinctively pressed herself into the blanket and then lowered her voice, so as not to be heard by the whole neighborhood.

“Tom, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be on the plane by now? Tomorrow is your premiere!"

“Oh, that was what you hoped for, wasn't it? You would like me to get out of the way once and for all…"

The woman pushed back her hair, holding it for a moment on the back of her neck, as she walked away from him to enter the living room.

“Enough… Enough with this story! We have already talked about everything!"

Tom followed her like a hurricane, standing in front of her again.

“Everything? We didn't talk about anything! Did you think that it was enough to just smile in front of a camera and leave as if nothing had happened? Oh no darling, you won't get rid of me so easily!"

The expression on the man's face scared her slightly, as did the tone she had never heard from him before.  
Tom repeatedly rubbed his lips with the back of his index finger, in a nervous gesture. He then stopped to look at her with a blank stare, when he realized that the woman had no intention of giving him an answer.

“Okay, that's enough! You're clearly drunk!"

Tom saw that she was dismissing him without even giving him a chance to speak and rebelled decisively.

“I'm not drunk! Why do you even think that!"

"Because you are! Just go away, please!"

Tom had spent the last few hours playing his part for the press and, to be honest, he had also played it kinda badly on purpose; yet he had worn a too tight smile in front of the cameras across, trying to convince them that everything was going well. It had been the worst night of his entire life by now and yes, he had been drinking, trying to banish that sense of helplessness and inadequacy, until he found himself with the car keys in his pocket and an urgent need to let off steam from his heart.  
Now Tom was there, exactly at the last place he had promised to go and he didn't even know if he was there to take refuge in the woman's arms or if he wanted to inveigh against that woman, who was ruining his life.

She now saw him linger with his eyes behind her, and then he only shook his head.

“He's here, isn't he? Is he upstairs?"

He was yelling deliberately, in the hope that the man would finally come down and face him once and for all.

"Stop it, there is no one..."

The woman was trying to physically oppose him, who was trying to get as close as possible to the stairs. It was then that he recognized the bag at the end of them.

"What is that? Are you leaving?"

Tom's expression changed abruptly. Now she could see anguish she had never seen before behind his lenses, which couldn't hide in those eyes.  
The desperate note in Tom's voice betrayed him more than his gaze did.

“Tell me that's not what I think it is... Tell me!"

Now the woman had the feeling that the grip of the man's hands burned her skin under the blanket.  
“Please, not now…”

“No, now! Now and tomorrow ... and as often as necessary!"

The determination in his face told her that she wouldn't be able to fake that confidence for much longer.  
She just thought it would be already over, she was convinced that she had already made that speech a million times, that she had overcome that terrible feeling, which she felt more and more. And instead there they are, ready to punish themselves all over again...


	2. Chapter 1

Tom scribbled his autograph on the crumpled poster, repeating the same movement on another and another while a dozen hands tried to touch him in the same moment.  
He looked up, smiling, and caught the concerned gaze of his bodyguard at his side. At that moment his attention was caught by something unusual, just a very rapid flash that forced him to immediately lower his eyes and blink behind his lenses. A shimmer, a fleeting glow was seen on that skin. He cursed to himself when he realized that he had viewed a woman's generous division as quite inappropriate and hoped with all his heart that no one had noticed, he certainly would not have made a good first impression... But when he looked up again and saw that familiar smile, all of the embarrassment suddenly disappeared.  
It was her.

The woman widened her eyes and turned her face into one of her magnificent smiles.

"They are crazy!", she mimicked with her lips towards him.

Tom laughed, nodded with a resigned grimace and forgot for a moment that he was in the middle of his fans.  
Oh yes, she was right: His fans were crazy. Kids, teenagers, ladies, everyone wanted to touch him, everyone wanted an autograph and maybe they were so crazy that they engraved it on their skin forever, like he had seen with dozens of other writings and memories.  
Tom felt like he never had enough words and smiles for everyone; he would hug every single person in every single country where he was overwhelmed with affection. Sometimes it was even embarrassing to have to leave, not being able to please everyone because you knew several miles had been traveled by them just to take a picture of him or for the touch of his hand.  
It was absurd, it was inconceivable, but it happened almost every day, wherever he went and whatever he did when someone recognized him.

The bodyguard's powerful grip freed him from that of a fan and allowed him to finally cross the threshold of the luxurious hotel where the press conference was to be held. He straightened his hair without thinking about that enigmatic yet inviting smile. He couldn't have said why, but this elusive and mysterious figure had a beneficial, almost relaxing effect on him.

Tom spread his arms before he was in front of her.  
"I can't believe it! Is it really you? How long haven't we seen each other? You're always everywhere!"

The woman gave him a warm hug and walked away for a moment only to give him a provocative look.  
They hadn't seen each other in at least two years after filming 'Lucifer'. Now she had four films in the works and was busy on the set of a movie that had brought her back, at least for a while, to live in her beloved city.

“Where did you leave your girlfriend? I was sure you would arrive together!"

Meanwhile, Lauren German stood on tiptoe to receive her friend's loving kiss on the cheek and now studied him from head to toe as if she had become his trustworthy stylist.

"No, she had some problems on set...", he started, looking at his clothes and lingering over the waistcoat and striped shirt.

Both women followed him into the conference room, where the producers were already surrounded by countless colleagues and friends.  
One glance from Lauren was enough to understand that the clothes were just a distraction: She had suspected that there had been no problem on his partner's set and that the evasive note in her friend's voice was nothing more than something for his favor. She had warned him about his relationship for months.  
Tom had never been able to lie, but he still couldn't come to terms with the fact that he had started a story that most thought would only make him suffer.

Yet he was still smiling as he thought back to the day he introduced Aurora to the team after auditioning for a role in "Lucifer". Aurora Centoscudi, the same femme fatale who had just bewitched him, had suddenly become frightened, given what she considered to be one of her greatest myths. Perhaps it was the first time a woman had been impressed by that kind of charm rather than Tom's sex appeal, but the actress couldn't deny that that aspect too had helped her instantly to secretly fall for that man.

“Honey, you are absolutely fantastic! Let me tell you..."  
David Bryan Woodside took both of Aurora's hands, put them to his lips and watched her with a half smile of his own.

"What about me? Am I not absolutely fantastic?", Tom intervened jokingly and pointed at him with an offended expression.

D.B. peeled away from the woman for just a second to look at him reproachfully.

"You? You're out of style now!"

They hugged each other like every time, looking for new signs of aging on their faces.

Tom burst out laughing, then looked around for the emergency exit where he could go if necessary. The bodyguard seemed to read his mind and pointed to the green door that was right next to the stage. He didn't know why, but the idea of having a way out made him feel better and safe.

"How are you? Do you want to go already?"  
Lauren spoke to him softly and pretended to look at the crowd.

"No, no, don't worry.", he corrected her and looked away in turn, to put his gaze back on the jewel that hung around Aurora's neck.

He only heard Lauren's voice, but didn't have time to notice her frowning brow. Then he turned his attention away from that tempting jewel and tried to calm himself down, his expression looking troubled.

Meanwhile D.B. forcibly pushed them towards the front row of red chairs as if he was a school teacher and did not leave until they took their seats.  
Tom knew how much his colleague cared about the new season, but that certainly didn't mean that they would remain motionless and accomplished, as if attending a funeral.  
D.B. seemed resigned now and turned to reach the stage, but before thinking about it he turned his index finger again, this time to Kate.

"This also applies to you, Centoscudi!"

The actress suddenly returned serious, showing one of her most innocent and irresistible expressions. Anyone knew that she would not be silent for a moment, that she was incapable and that she and Lauren together would have been gossiping, to say the least.  
And so it was. The man's most terrible predictions came true one after the other with an unstoppable and somewhat disturbing punctuality: From the out of order audio system to the whispered jokes of his colleagues, who everyone could also hear very well. Still worse was Aurora's clumsy attempt to disappear, get up and run to the emergency exit when her phone suddenly rang, where Tom tried to hide already. Anyone who hadn't known her would surely have said that this was another amusing trick by the team who used their actors and actresses to lighten the mood a bit, but the reality was, some of them were their problem when it came to getting serious. And yet every time, every damn time, the producers were persuaded to carry her away and regularly regretted not having preferred the presence of others.

When the flashes of the photographers gave him the green light and he finally managed to stretch his legs, D.B. had the instinct to step off the stage and get the others to finally go up and join them.  
Lauren looked strangely docile as she tried not to laugh at the man's attempted expression.

"Come on... It was to make the atmosphere a little bit better! "

"The atmosphere? Everyone must have thought that you are high... And so are you, Aurora... I'm serious!"

The actress lowered her eyes and bit her lip to hide the amused expression on her face.  
"Come on… Nothing happened! You are always the most serious!"

Tom patted his shoulder kindly and D.B. returned it, but without smiling.

"Oh, stop being grumpy! Come on, let's get changed... I'm starving!"

He put a scarf around his neck, put his jacket on, and caught their gaze ready to go out.

"Unfortunately I'm not finished yet! I'm going to the restaurant later with you, okay?", D.B. said and exchanged a knowing look with his colleagues, who snorted in resignation.

“Okay, I'll stay with you too then. I'm sorry folks, go on..."

"As if it was that easy to get out of here Ellis..."

"They won't tear you apart, trust me."

Her friend gave her an encouraging look and prepared to go out. Tom remembered all too well how shy Aurora was and how much she hated being the center of attention.  
He slipped into his leather jacket, took up his position next to the bodyguard, gave her an encouraging look, and reached out his hand so she could grab it and follow him. There would be no more autographs, no more hugs or handshakes, they would be sent straight to the car that was waiting for them to take them to the restaurant.

"Wait, maybe it would be better if I caught up with you later... Maybe in a taxi..."  
The hint of panic in the woman's voice was evident and Tom couldn't help but soften up a little.

"A taxi? Could it be that you don't want to be seen with me? What's the matter, are you ashamed?"

"What are you even saying?", Aurora paused for a moment at this provocation and decided to shake his outstretched hand and Tom's grip tightened.

"Okay, see you later guys... And remember, Tom, I'll trust you!"

Lauren's voice reached his ears as he was walking down the path, and it took him a fraction of a second to grasp the meaning of those words. He turned around with an expression between confused and amused and looked for the gaze of Aurora, who was walking behind him and preparing for the impact with the lightning bolts from the cameras.  
Tom looked back and focused on the woman's face and almost froze, causing her to bump into him.  
Aurora looked at him blankly and followed her friend's eyes, which lingered on her until they sat down on her dress.

"Let's go!"  
The bodyguard's voice became more insistent, but Tom couldn't move.

"Go ahead!", she finally said and smiled shyly.

Tom was forced to take this advice: He couldn't believe it, now the screams were deafening and the area around the entrance was in an uproar, while he was still confused and struggling to get through tight path that was reserved for them.  
He felt the pressure on Aurora's hand tighten and returned it, bringing her closer to him. Then he felt it suddenly come loose as the first lightning bolts from the cameras began to blind him. Now the people would speculate about this scene: Rumors of a possible love affair would start circulating again, but this was nothing compared to the fear that was growing step by step when he thought the car was still too far away from that crowd.  
He felt a tug on the sleeve of his jacket and had to stop. A particularly intrusive fan had managed to anchor himself at the dress of the woman and was now trying to pull her to him for a photo or maybe just for a kiss.

"Hey, hey... Hands off!"  
The bodyguard's threatening tone and gruff manner forced the boy to give in and finally made them walk towards the car that was waiting for them with the pounding engine.

"Are you crazy?"  
Tom spoke to her as soon as he closed the door with a thud.

"Because?"

Aurora's eyes were huge as she tried to fix her hair, which got a little frizzy from this little marathon.

"I drag you through the midst of a crowd of possessed people just to wait for them to rip your clothes off?"

Aurora burst out laughing.  
“Oh I get it, they wanted to take me away from you!"

Tom didn't know whether to laugh or to get angrier.  
"Perfect! Thank you very much... What if the bodyguard couldn't protect you from that?"

"What? Come on, Tom, I was careful, who did you take me for?"

"Are you pregnant or what?"

She studied him for a few seconds with an amused smile on her face which said it all. Aurora didn't know about this part of his character, although she'd seen him worried several times when it came to his colleagues.

"I would have told you tonight..."

She said it as if it was a justification for keeping him in the dark about such important news when in reality they both knew that although they loved each other, their paths had not crossed for some time.

Tom watched the fans greet him without being able to see him behind the dark windows and tried to think objectively.  
He shook his head slightly and tortured his lips for a moment before deciding to speak.

"It's just that I couldn't even imagine... You gave me a great responsibility, you know..."  
He glanced at her stomach, which was hidden by her dress.

"Okay, you're right... I was subconsciously thinking about going out among the fans of Tom Ellis ... with Tom Ellis. How crazy..."  
Aurora smiled again and tried to make him give in, but Tom still didn't seem able to relax.

"You were crazy, that's all!"

“No, I still have to get used to the idea. I should have gone out alone and nothing would have happened! It's not your fault, okay? Oh my god... Now who knows what they're going to say?"

Tom finally let himself go to a calmer smile just to calm her down too.

"Obviously they'll say it's my child!"

Aurora seemed much less amused by the idea.

"Well what do you think? Don't we look good together?"

She pretended to be more offended than she really was.  
"Oh sure... If it wasn't for that you are one of the most famous men in the world and... Oh yes wait... Maybe you just got engaged to another woman? What about that?"

They stared at each other for a moment in silence before laughing.

"But that's not true... Not really...", he tried to justify himself and couldn't stop laughing.

But after a while his laughter gradually turned into a smile that was still incredulous.  
Tom kept looking out the window, feeling a little uncomfortable to hear that sweet inflection in his friend's voice. He knew that when he looked at her he would see the unmistakable light in her eyes and he wasn't sure if he was ready for it. Then he decided to turn his attention to her stomach again.

"But how is that possible? I would never have noticed... I mean, you can't see anything... And to think that the rumors are running fast enough around here, but-..."

"Rumors of you are running pretty fast, true...", she teased him.

“Yes... Yes... Okay, spare me your comments on Hollywood's superficiality! I know it's some kind of Babylon for you! But tell me will you marry or maybe you have already done it and I don't know anything about it?"

He accidentally stopped his gaze on the woman's ringed fingers and saw her pull her hand back.

"You are kidding, aren't you?", she answered impulsively.

"Why excuse me?"

"I'll never be his wife, idiot!"

Aurora had despite Tom a multitude of emotions hidden behind her mask with a light smile heartedly as always.

"Okay, okay... If you want! But can you at least tell me who he is? And how do you feel, how many weeks are you pregnant?"

It looked like an interrogation and her lips tightened thoughtfully.  
"So... Let's see: You don't know him. And about twenty weeks. Is that enough?"

But Tom protested, snorted, and slumped his back against the seat.

"You know I'm one of the few words..."

It would have been better to say that Aurora Centoscudi was just a hopeless case of shyness and confidentiality, and that it was almost impossible to talk about her personal life to say the least. But Tom had learned that for some time, and it was one of the things he particularly liked about his colleague.  
Maybe he couldn't explain it to anyone, but he felt a strange respect for this woman, an appreciation that went beyond her acting skills. Her artistic sensitivity led her to regard Aurora as a strangely complex work: It was as if a multitude of shades were hidden behind the clothes and the dark hair, an unimaginable spectrum of colors, ranging from delicate pastel tones to the depth of the vermilion. He often talked about it with friends like Lauren. Aurora was like a long-forgotten melody, the notes which automatically returned to the fingers, forcing them to be delighted at the same time as this unexpected and familiar sound.

He tried to amuse her and not insist on the questions so as not to get her into further trouble.

"Twenty? But are you sure?"

Aurora smiled and only hid her eyes for a fleeting moment under her dark lashes.

"Wow, from the look on your face earlier I thought you had already figured it out."

He studied her better and remembered the first picture he had of his friend that evening, so he corrected himself.  
"Well... Maybe I could have had a little clue..."

"You will never change..."

"No way!", he confirmed satisfied.

But he knew it wasn't the truth, he had changed a lot in the last few years. If Aurora had known the man he had been before his Ex, who knows if she would have felt so comfortable in his company. He certainly couldn't have been joking like that, without embarrassment.

Meanwhile the car slowed down, stopped and they both prepared for getting out, hoping to be quick enough to be faster than the paparazzi.

Tom opened the door and held out his hand again.  
"Come on, I guess we have another reason to celebrate tonight!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I am with the first chapter. I'm particularly grateful to those who have chosen to read and comment on the prologue and who have once again shown their affection towards my works. And especially I thank the beautiful Aurora Centoscudi for giving me her valuable opinions and chance to have her as the protagonist in this story as well. ♡


	3. Chapter 2

"Good night, Princess!"  
The bodyguard bent down to greet the kiss Aurora printed on his cheek while Tom at her side suddenly changed his expression.

"Princess? And where does all this fuss come from?"

"Well what is it? Are you jealous?"  
The bodyguard spoke to him and turned his eyes on him.

“What if I am? You never called me a princess..."  
Laughing, he lowered his hand over his eyes and looked around suspiciously as if he expected the paparazzi to emerge from behind a hedge.

"Come on, now go... It's late!"

Aurora gave him one of those smiles that no man could have resisted. She stood on tiptoe to hug him and Tom had to resist the urge to scold her.  
Instead, he limited himself to inhaling the unmistakable scent and hugged her lightly.

“You're the one who's always busy… But where are you going now? Wait, I'll take you.", she said, pointing to the driveway that would lead her to the entrance to her house.

"I'm here or am I not?"

"We won't talk about it..."

Aurora recognized the slightly amused smile on the man's lips and withdrew from him in surprise.

Tom certainly wouldn't be discouraged by the usual hasty and independent demeanor of his friend who always seemed to live on a different planet, away from the real world and the risks a famous woman could bring. He glanced at the driver and bodyguard and met their eyes to confirm that he was doing the right thing.

"Okay... But you are unfair, you cannot bring up my responsibility as a mother..."

"Of course I can!"

Aurora returned his smile with an amused expression. She loved his way of of overprotection, which he showed to the people he cared about most and filled them with an almost palpable light and warmth. Maybe Aurora only realized at that moment, when she nodded to the two men next to the car and walked down the dark driveway next to him, how much she had missed this real and terribly special friend.

"Seriously... Try to show up every now and then, at least now that we both work here!"

Aurora nodded, hugged her jacket and brushed a strand of hair back from her face, then Tom decided to continue.

"I swear I'll never take you among my fans again!"

"But they are fantastic... Although I don't know how you can do that every time..."

"To do what? To survive? I don't even know..."

Aurora burst out laughing and stood now under the little wooden porch. Tom realized he loved the sound of that laugh, sometimes a little too coarse, but never too high. Aurora had that voice, that damn voice that drove everyone crazy, especially when she spoke in Italian; in the past he had overheard her phone calls with her mother or friends more than once, and each time he had looked at her questioningly and she saw the expression on his face.  
But what should he tell her? That he found her sexy? Sure... But anyone found her sexy.

"Okay, then thank you for taking me to this neighborhood!", the man joked, but he was so lost in thought all the time that he didn't even realize he had got there.

He looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time: Aurora had the house keys in her hand and was looking at him, waiting to join her.

Tom was suddenly embarrassed and realized completely that he really didn't feel like leaving.

"Okay come on... Well... Thanks to you..."

He looked around, took a hand out of his pocket and ran his hand through his hair. He paused for a moment in the headlights of the car and then stared again at his friend's face, who now seemed to be waiting for movement without understanding her intentions.  
He had to say goodbye and leave, that's all. He'd done it a thousand times and instead felt like a teenager at his first date. But the problem there wasn't a hypothetical goodnight kiss, but a feeling of agitation in his stomach that upset him, prevented him from moving, and made him rub his nose repeatedly with his index finger.

"It was a wonderful evening... It's been a long time since we all had one together... Lauren, D.B. ..."

"Yes, that's right. But next time you have to introduce me to your girlfriend! It's absurd that everyone but me already knew her!"

Aurora was already putting the keys in the lock when she no longer recognized the lightning bolt in her friend's eyes before she had time to look down at his boots.

"What's wrong?"

He was going nowhere, and her tiredness, which until that moment seemed unbearable, had given way to curiosity and worry.

"Why?"

Tom realized that his attempt now was just a bad attempt. Aurora's eyes seemed to want to dig through his head to meet his and he couldn't resist for long.

"Nothing... It is nothing! Let's go now, it's late!"

The woman's hand tightened around his arm and the slight pressure through the skin of the jacket made him wince.  
That was what made him nervous, the need to throw away something uncomfortable and painful, which clashed with the desire to flee the problem for the umpteenth time.

“Is it because of your girlfriend? Did I say something wrong, Tom?"

"Well... I haven't seen you in almost two years and I come here to spit out my problems?"  
He pulled away from her and took a few steps back.

"What do you say? You don't spit on me. I was the one who asked you about her..."

Tom suddenly felt reluctant; After all that was his life, why should he talk about it with a colleague he knew practically nothing about?

“Come on... Now I'm curious!"

He saw her sitting on the porch step and motioned for him to sit next to her with her most reassuring smile.

"Okay..."

The man sat down with a loud sigh and Aurora waited in silence and followed his every move with a half smile. She certainly wasn't the type to push him with questions, she could have stayed on this step all night until he stopped arguing with his thoughts to give them a voice.

"I don't know where to start...", he finally said, stretching out his legs.

"How do you feel...", were the friend's obvious words that weren't so obvious then.

"How do I feel? I feel frustrated, tired... I am angry, I told you..."

Aurora just smiled at that simple intuition.  
Tom relaxed slightly, lowered his gaze and brushed the slight sweat from his forehead.

"People told me that she cheated on me..."

"The problem here is, were they right?"

Tom turned to Aurora and weighed each of her words.  
Was it so easy to get to the point?

“I'm afraid it's true! Fuck Aurora, I'm really scared!"

He replied so quickly that he didn't have to think about it for a minute longer and this new awareness made him go on like a raging river and finally be free to speak without restrictions.

“She wasn't like that… Well, it was all absurd at first! I felt like I wasted my whole life looking for that damn perfect person! So smart and funny too..."

"And beautiful...", Aurora added, winking lazily.

"Oh yes... Beautiful! I've never known anything like her in my entire life!"

His friend's tender smile calmed him, but also made him feel stupid.

At the time of filming Lucifer, he and his girlfriend hadn't been together, but they'd spent a lot of time together and Tom couldn't deny that this womans charm had already hit him in the chest like a shotgun.

Aurora remembered the fear of moving a muscle so as not to arouse further suspicion.

"Things were flawed even then... I was so exhausted that I wished I were miles away from her so as not to argue any further! Yet she was always there..."

"Are you justifying yourself to me, Ellis?", Aurora said and squeezed her own arm with a frown.

“No… Maybe I'll justify myself soon! I did everything possible to conquer her and keep her close. Maybe too much."

"It's never too much when you're in love..."

“I promised her impossible things… I flew to Los Angeles to get her back when she left me. I didn't want to let the whole world know at least about that while the they already knew about our story... Why do I always have to be so stubborn? It seemed impossible to me that she could walk away just like that... I couldn't bear to lose her just when I was sure I had found love again. I've never loved like this before!"

The look he gave her was disarming sincerity and Aurora felt disoriented.

"It was wonderful..."

That was the only comment she could say and it was exactly what she thought. It was so pure and perfect what Tom had just said, mainly because it came from a mature man who had lived everything life could offer and probably much more.  
But the bitter voice that answered her didn't seem to agree with her.

“There's nothing wonderful, believe me… She and I have two very strong characters and that was seen from the start! Still, it seemed right for her to compromise, to take a step back... It seemed right to repay her for all the time she had spent in the shadows next to me, to respect my family and time. And now it turned out to be useless..."

“But didn't you just ask her to marry you?"

"Yes... Yes, I did...", he sighed.

"Oh my god, sorry... Why do you always have to be so stupid?"

"Probably because I'm your friend... You choose."

"Could it be that the first period of passion has passed and you can no longer feel butterflies in your stomach?"

"Things are certainly different now. We're literally hunted all the time and most of the time busy working on the set or promoting the new season. But what can I tell you? It's all about success for her.

Aurora's face suddenly changed.  
"There... This is where I wanted you! So that's the problem? Success? She is at the beginning of her career and you feel like you're at the end."

Tom hesitated and felt guilty just thinking such a thing.  
"Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not jealous of success! I'm happy for her... But she doesn't seem the same around me anymore and then she tries in every way to shut me out like she's scared."

"Stop it! You can't really think that... She is only keeping work away from private life because private life is a bit too personal, that's all... I would do it too."

"Not if your private life brings you all of the work."

Aurora seemed surprised.  
"You mean she's using you?"

"I wouldn't say that. But we know success is a double-edged sword. I promised her that I would be interested in her career, introduce her to people from around the world... I feel like I used my position to attract her..."

"And now you are afraid that she will do what you asked her to do?"

"I didn't ask her. Maybe I was hoping she wouldn't accept, what do I know... Maybe I was hoping she would really surprise me again that it was enough for her to lead a life away from it! But I was looking for it, deep down I always knew that our relationship would affect her career. I thought it would be a great compromise for both of us, but I never thought it'd go that way."

He paused and pursed his lips slightly.

"Okay, it's true... I feel needed! And the truth is that I let myself be used so as not to lose her!"

"And now you doubt her feelings..."

“I don't know, I shouldn't, but our fights always focus on that. She wants to walk on her own two feet, but she's using our relationship to do it, and I... Well, I'm so frustrated with all of this! I promised myself never to fall like that and look after myself instead! It has never happened to me in the past."

"But you can't control gossip, you know..."

Tom suddenly seemed to have aged when he realized the truth of those words.

"Yeah, I know! Who knows, maybe those were just different times? There weren't all these computers, blogs, tweets... I mean that much media in general. I'm starting to think that I haven't thought of all the risks well enough. You know what? The most annoying thing is not so much walking away as the old man who was fooled by the woman on duty... But the realization that I really have become one! An old man!"

Aurora's eyes widened, Tom couldn't really think such a thing.

"Didn't you already say that you've never been so in love in your life?"

"Maybe because I had never felt so alone..."

"Oh come on, you aren't alone!"

"I don't know, Aurora... I just feel like I've lost sight of everything!"

He stopped and didn't even know how to describe this uncomfortable feeling, which suggested that he had made a mistake that he could no longer fix. But Aurora ran to his aid.

"You are a great man... It is normal to worry about life, but you work in this environment and I think you can defend yourself a lot better than others."

Tom was silent, nodded slightly and waited for her to continue.

"You, Tom... You're just scared, I think it's normal! Indeed it is normal! You fell in love and lost sight of your rationality. Now you win it back, but that doesn't mean your feelings are any less strong. Take some time to find out what is wrong with you. And anyway, I doubt a woman like her would have stayed with a man for so long if she hadn't had real feelings."

"But don't forget that the man in question is me!"  
His tone was playful but betrayed that depth of bitterness and looked for her eyes.

"So what? You're not a bad man, not at all. Don't think like that about yourself."

"Thank you... I needed to hear that...", he then said and gratefully put a hand on her back.

"I know... You should learn to worry less and not always leave everything inside!"

"Look who's talking!", Tom scolded her with a smile that quickly turned into a worried expression.

"Hey whats wrong?"

His friend's suddenly pale face forced him to support her.

"Nothing... I must have gotten up too quickly...", she tried to minimize it, unable to remove her grip from the man's arms.

"Are you dizzy? Do you want to sit down?"

"No... No, it's fine. I better go to bed, this little man is starting to throw a tantrum!"

Tom tried to look calm as he reluctantly let her go.  
"A... A boy?"

He saw her nod as she fumbled with the keys and saw that she seemed in trouble, as if she suddenly wanted to run away from him.

"You should rest a little more.", he finally decided to say and let his undeniable paternal instinct run wild.

"I'll do that in a moment!"  
Aurora had regained her usual direct and hasty tone.

“I mean… You should stop working like you're possessed. You haven't even stopped for Christmas since I've known you!"

The woman wondered what he knew about her pace of work, but held back so as not to sound too abrupt.

"I just work... The same hours, the same workplace, the same colleagues... It's the most relaxing thing I've ever done!"

Now he was standing there, standing at the now open door, waiting for her to dismiss him, as if they didn't even know each other anymore and hadn't spoken to each other for the last hours.  
Yet Tom didn't give up, but took a few steps closer and made her look him in the eye.

"Okay listen to me, now I'm not kidding… It's your first child and you look dead tired. I know... I know you shouldn't be told what to do or not to do, but the advice I gave you as a friend, please take it as such..."

"Well, thanks for the advice then..."

"And your partner should give you that advice too!"

He had exaggerated with the lecture and right now Aurora hated him for that, he could tell by the way she bit her lower lip and persistently avoided his gaze.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No, why?"

"Because you haven't even talked about him during dinner...", he uttered this sentence as Aurora had just a few minutes earlier.

"Because there is nothing to say... I'm really tired now, we're talking later at lunch, okay?"

"Hey... Don't try it that way! What do you have to hide?"

He caught a glimpse of the worried look the woman was throwing into the house. She had the wish to escape too and Tom didn't know whether to insist or let go.

"What? Are you afraid he might hear us?", he asked, followed her worried gaze and wondered what reaction her partner might have had when he saw him standing there at that time of the night.

"He?"  
The expression on his friend's face surprised him.

"Yes, the mysterious man... The future father."

Aurora greeted him with a rediscovered smile.  
"It will be difficult for him to hear us since he's not here."

"Not here?"

"Yes."

"But only temporarily I hope?"

Trying to investigate, he looked around the house and found that it was very different from what he had imagined.

"Yes... You can say that..."

He saw her take off her jacket and toss it on the couch before taking off her shoes with a sigh of relief.  
He didn't know what to do, he had to say goodbye and go back to his men who were now watching him through the lowered windows and wondering what he was doing in the doorway.  
Aurora asked him not to come in, but she was too polite to slam the door in his face while he blinked for a clue to ease his growing curiosity.

"What is it, Tom?"

The man almost lost his balance, hearing her compelling tone, and leaned against the door, feigning a nonchalance he didn't have.

"Nothing... I was just wondering what can be so important for him to stay away from you?"

"Work..."

"Don't you worry? I mean... Knowing that you are here alone? I wouldn't be calm..."

"Right, because you are so calm yourself!"

Finally, she approached the door and gave him one last smile before saying goodnight.

"Don't worry! Thank you for accompanying me... Well... thank you for everything!"

"That's what friends are for."

She stood on tiptoe and this time Tom realized that she was at least four inches shorter than him without heels. He kissed her hair and gave her a gentle squeeze before moving away from an unusual thought.

"I know him... That's why you won't tell me who he is! Come on Aurora, don't you trust me?"

"What are you talking about?"

“Yes, there is no other explanation. Tell me who it is... I won't go until you tell me!"

The woman pulled away and put her hand on the handle to send him away with an embarrassed smile. Why did she no longer know how to act in such situations?

“Stop it, he's nobody! A normal man with a normal job... You would have known if he was someone you know, don't you think?"

“It depends... With you you never know... You can hide your tracks well! So if I don't know him, tell me his name."

Aurora hesitated and glanced over her shoulder as if expecting someone to come to her rescue.

"No, I won't."

His hand blocked the door again.

"Come on Tom, forget it. There is nothing interesting to know..."

“Then why are you hiding it? What's happening? I told you about my situation too."

The woman snorted.  
“Just leave me alone."

Aurora got nervous, she felt the fear increase by the second those eyes fixed on hers as if they were being X-rayed.  
She didn't want to talk about it, she didn't have to talk about it. She promised that things would stay calm until she resolved some problems. However, there was no more unsuitable person standing by her side at that moment and asking these questions than Tom Ellis...


	4. Chapter 3

He dropped his head on the pillow after rubbing it repeatedly.  
The damn ticking of the clock couldn't keep him asleep, or maybe it was just the sound of the thoughts in his head.  
After this long conversation on the threshold of Aurora's house he went home involuntarily; All Tom wanted was to lock himself in a pub and spend the whole night in front of a nice glass of whiskey, talking about this and that with the bartender...  
Instead he had closed the door of the car and dragged himself wearily to the entrance of his home, hoping his girlfriend was already in bed and asking him no questions.  
He had undressed, threw himself on the sofa with a non-alcoholic beer in his hand, and felt exhausted. Too many things, too much news to digest: Aurora, the pregnancy, her completely weird story...

Now that he was under the blanket, those conversations had given way to the lightning bolts of the evening that had just passed, to Aurora's hands clasped on her chest to protect herself from the cold, to her glances and her haste, to push him away.  
The more he thought about it, the more guilty he felt that he shouldn't have left her alone. As hard as she tried to look strong, she wasn't, she needed someone to lean on, and for some strange reason he had managed to be that someone, at least for the night.

He heard his partner turn around in bed with a groan and forced himself not to turn away but to pretend he was sleeping. He didn't want to talk, not after the angry argument they had that afternoon before he left.  
It was always the same story, she seemed to be getting more and more angry that she was being referred to as Tom Ellis' girlfriend and nothing more. She couldn't spend half the time complaining that she no longer had her privacy when she had tried all her life not to have it...  
In addition, there was a lack of satisfaction with the vacancies caused by that new awareness. Tom tried to be superior, but she snapped every time he touched the subject: She had this strange power to make him nervous and make him feel like an idiot. She was never happy, nothing ever went well in her eyes.  
Living together became hard; though they were both busy on their sets during the day, their evenings had nothing more to do with those of the past and even free time became the sweetest moment of the day. The woman complained that she wanted to go out, see her friends, and cut out Tom's world entirely, unless it had some depth.  
It was Tom himself who refused to be with her at the event that afternoon for precisely this reason.  
He hated having to lower himself to a certain level, he wasn't a kid anymore! But now that he felt her hand caress his chest and her soft body hugging him, he realized that she would probably always win.

The ringing of his mobile phone forced him to put these thoughts aside. He got up on one elbow and sat down on the bedside table.

"Who is that?"  
The woman's sleepy voice reached him along with the glow of the lamp she had just switched on.

He motioned for her to be quiet, answered a little alarmed, and checked the clock on the wall.

"Hello? Aurora?"

There seemed to be no one at the other end.

"Aurora? Are you there?"

Silence.

His gaze met that of his girlfriend, who probably had no idea who this Aurora could be.

"Hello? Aurora! Can you hear me?"

He stayed with the phone to his ear for a few moments and finally decided to hang up before dialing the number again.

"Crap!", he exclaimed and sat on the side of the bed.

“What's the matter, Tom? Who was that?"

“No one. Go to sleep...", he calmed her down and absently stroked her bare arm.

"Who was that? Tell me!"

His back was turned to her, but he could hear her now as she knelt on the bed and approached him.

"Aurora..."

"Aurora who?"

"Centoscudi... Aurora Centoscudi!"

"And why should this Aurora Centoscudi call you at four in the morning?"  
Her voice betrayed a somewhat suspicious curiosity.

"I have no idea... Something could have happened..."

Tom ran a hand over his face and dialed the number again.

"So what? I don't understand..."  
The woman followed him with her eyes as he got up and jumped into his pants, which he left on the chair at the end of the bed.

“You don't have to understand."

"And where do you think you are going now?"

His voice was muffled through the fabric of the shirt.  
The woman jumped out of bed like a feather and saw him walking down the hall and quickly descending the stairs.

“But you can't go out at this time... Wait at least until it's morning..."

Tom picked up his jacket. He couldn't wait for the next morning, Aurora would never accidentally call him, she had never done that before.

"I'll take the car... I'll be back soon, don't wait for me, okay?"  
He said goodbye with a quick kiss on the lips and ran to the garage.

~

He rubbed his eyes and tried to concentrate on the now brightly lit street.  
It was after five in the morning and Aurora hadn't opened the door when he tried to ring the bell. The mobile phone kept getting disconnected and everything around the house seemed deserted and strangely in order like the car in the yard and the closed shutters.  
Maybe his girlfriend was right, she probably started a call accidentally and then turned the phone off so as not to be disturbed.  
Now Tom was back in the car, feeling exhausted and even a little disappointed. He was too worried and age certainly didn't help him take it less to heart, especially when it came to friends.  
Now he would have to go home and explain everything, knowing full well that Aurora would kill him if she only knew that he had told someone else about that business.  
But what else could he do? He had no excuse for running away like this in the middle of the night, and besides, he didn't like to tell lies, he couldn't go on long without being spotted.

A house number suddenly caught his attention just enough to drag the car onto the deserted sidewalk in front of a certain house.

"Wow, what a honor with you being here at that time."

"Good morning, I missed you too!", Tom answered ironically.

"Someone was up late tonight, right? I would have bet you wouldn't have gone to bed so quickly... How can you blame yourself? After an evening with Centoscudi , I wouldn't be able to sleep either! You must have been very busy thinking about her..."

There was no way his bodyguard really meant it.

"Stop it man... There is nothing between us."

After they got into the car, Tom leaned back in the seat and sipped from a glass of black coffee.  
He reached for the mobile phone in his jacket pocket again and snorted without seeing any calls.  
He hadn't slept a wink, had driven around and on his return home had a discussion of at least two hours behind him.  
It was going to be a long day of shooting and he could bet his makeup artist wouldn't be very happy to see him like that.

"Hey Tom? Hello are you still with us?"

The bodyguard nudged him with one of his large hands and woke him from these uncomfortable thoughts.

"I think you have to drink at least a dozen of these coffees, you look like you're in a trance!"

"I did not get much sleep..."

Tom silenced him and looked back at the blank monitor.  
He could have made one last try, after all it was nine o'clock in the morning by now, he would not have bothered anyone and Aurora had to be on set soon too.  
He typed the number off by heart without looking for it in the phone book and was ready to end the call with his finger on the red button as soon as he heard the usual pre-recorded voice advising him to try again later.  
To his enormous surprise, however, came a shy ring followed by a clearer one. Aurora's phone was finally on. It was obvious she wasn't going to answer, but that repetitive and monotonous sound was enough to make him feel better. Nothing serious could have happened and, as usual, his worries had been too huge...

"Yes?", a female voice interrupted these thoughts.

"Yeah hello, Aurora?"

"No... No, who is talking?"

"Tom... Aurora?"

He understood that this voice couldn't belong to his friend and wondered if maybe he had spent all night calling the wrong number.

"No Tom... I'm not Aurora, I'm still your assistant..."

The rubbed over his eyes, called himself stupid, and avoided the curious gaze of the two men in the other seats.

"Yes, sorry for the call... I just wanted to know if everything was okay. I think she tried to call me tonight."

"No..."  
The woman's voice sounded less confident now. A slight tremor alarmed him and sent a shiver down his spine.

"No?", he repeated almost like a robot to encourage her to keep on going.

"It's not all right... Aurora..."

"What?"  
He sat up abruptly, and his bodyguard's eyes were immediately fixed on him. He knew something must have happened, he had that damn suspicion like the night before.  
The woman now spoke the words he thought he already knew.

“I don't know anything… But we're in the hospital. She felt bad last night..."

"How bad?"

"I think she was looking for you... I don't even know how she called for help, I just know that someone called me a few hours ago, it was her neighbor... Now we are here, but they tell us nothing..."

He could feel all the agony in the words of his assistant who, if he remembered well, was also one of Aurora's friends.

"Is it the baby?"

"I don't know... But I think so..."  
The woman was crying now.

"I'll be there in about ten minutes!"

It had taken a lot more than ten minutes, but in the end he did it and now he was in this room with the others, with improbable paintings on the walls and those absurd floral curtains. Aurora would have hated them.  
The surprise effect had paid off in that most people hadn't even recognized him, apart from the nurses, whose looks had already pierced him when he stepped aside.  
They had waited a long time in the waiting room until a doctor came to tell them what they both already knew: The child wouldn't make it.  
Tom had been waiting for the doctor to go to approach his assistant, whose sobs filled the empty room with their echoes.  
He couldn't have imagined a worse situation he couldn't think of standing still while Aurora suffered giving birth to a child she wouldn't even hear crying.  
For a moment he wanted to pursue the doctor to ask him to join her, but he immediately realized how absurd the idea was.

Now it was all over and Aurora was laying motionless on the white bed, giving no sign that she wanted to wake up.  
Doctors said she was very upset, so they had to reassure her after the abortion to avoid further complications.  
Her phone vibrated for the umpteenth time in the assistant's hands and she quickly got up to go out and answer. It was likely the family who had just been informed of the incident and were preparing to leave their home.  
Tom was left alone in the almost unreal silence of this room. He could feel the gaze of the bodyguard standing outside at the door, watching him from time to time and waiting for a nod. He wasn't going to work now, there would be no makeup session and no scenes. He could only think that he wanted to see these eyes again and at the same time he hoped that they would open as late as possible in order for the woman to remain in a state of calmness.

Aurora looked so peaceful that the signs of suffering were still visible on her overly pale face, but she was breathing regularly and her soft lips were parted in a delightful pout.  
Tom stretched his legs and yawned before running a hand over his face as he got up to take off his jacket.

Why did he go home last night? Why did he listen to her?

These questions had tormented him for hours and the feeling of guilt grew inside him, throwing him into utter despair. No, it was now clear that there was nothing he could do, but if he had immediately understood that something was wrong, things could have turned out differently, he would have called for help immediately, he would have been next to her, by her side.

"Ugh..."

These almost inaudible moans caught his attention and made him sit upright in the chair.  
Those black eyelashes moved slightly on her pale face and Tom was scared.

"Aurora?", hee called her softly, as if he was afraid to really wake her up.

"Who is there?"

This time Tom stood still. His hand on the woman's, now weakly anchored to his. It was obvious that she was looking for her partner, he should have sat in that chair for hours, not him.

"Aurora... It's okay... I'm here...", he tried to calm her down and saw her open her eyes without concentrating on him.

"It's me, Tom..."

Aurora didn't answer, but seemed to recognize him.  
He saw her swallow hard and then put a hand on her stomach with slowness.  
It was natural for him to close his eyes so as not to see this moment, not to meet her gaze, but he realized that she needed him, she had already been alone for too long.  
And then he saw it. That light glow that slowly turned into an empty darkness as the truth found its way along with the memory. The sedatives would only have driven her away for a brief moment, but now she was there with her inner pain again.  
Aurora's expression suddenly hardened and then left room for a slight tremor on her pale lips.  
Tom squeezed her hand tightly, which was now resting on her stomach again and her eyes filled with tears behind the her lenses.

"I'm sorry Aurora... I'm so sorry..."

The woman didn't cry, something didn't allow it. Instead, it was Tom who wept in an inexplicable emotional breakdown caused by too much tension.  
He tried to recover and wiped his tears away, looking back at that blank, expressionless face.

"Aurora? Tell me how you feel... Should I call the nurse?"

The woman shook her head, lowered her eyelashes again and pursed her lips bitterly. Maybe she needed this pain to realize that everything was real, that it wasn't a nightmare she was going to wake up from.

"Your parents will be here in a couple of hours, I'll send the driver to get them...", Tom tried to calm her down.

“I'm calling your boyfriend if you want... He will take the first plane, you will see..."

Aurora shook her head again and this time her eyes fixed on his, forcing him to stroke her temple and then her hair.

"Everything will be fine... Everything will be fine again, you will see..."

For a moment he was afraid to approach her, but Aurora's grip became more crucial.  
Her face was motionless until it cracked into a very slight grimace and then Tom could no longer resist and got down to hold her to his chest and finally felt her dissolve into sobs.


	5. Chapter 4

The photos of Tom and Aurora hand in hand as they left the hotel had gone around the world and it was only a matter of time before the news of the actress's hospitalization came to light, giving off to an endless series of cheap gossip...

"So, are you ready? We have to arrive by eleven o'clock and you still have to shower!"  
His girlfriend gave him a concerned look and put back on the precious earrings that Tom had given her for their anniversary.

"It will take a moment...", he said, bit into a sandwich and went into the sunlight to read the newspaper better.

"Tom..."

Her insistent voice made him realize that he'd better hurry if he didn't want to start another senseless discussion about the woman's career and his role in it. If he had heard another story of how her private life was separated from work, he would go crazy.

"Okay, I'm going... I'm going you see?"  
He folded the newspaper with a few angry gestures.  
"And besides I don't understand this rush..."

The sudden ringing of the phone interrupted the woman's answer.

"Lauren?"  
He checked his watch quickly and answered.  
"Why are you calling me at this time?"

“What a pleasure to hear from you, Tom… Oh thank you Lauren, how was your day so far? Great, thanks Tom!"

The man was stunned for a moment as he listened to these seemingly nonsensical sentences before realizing that she was making fun of him for his abrupt response.

"Okay, okay... Hello Lauren, all right. Why are you calling me at this time? Did something happen again?"  
He went to the balcony when he felt his girlfriend's gaze fixed on him.

“No, what should have happened? I called you to ask if you had read the reviews of the first episode from the new season."

The grimace painted on Tom's face would have been very extensive if only the woman could have seen it.

"No, I'm sorry..."

"No? Well, listen to this: 'The creative flair of the-..."

Tom was no longer listening to her as he watched the landscape be absorbed, scouring all sorts of movements.  
He could have asked about Aurora, since Lauren had to be aware of her condition too.  
No, he could have just kept quiet and answered yes to any of her questions, hoping that the torture would soon be over.

"Tom? Are you even listening to me?"

"Yes... Yes sorry... Great, it went well, right?"

"I would not say so..."  
The tone on the other end of the phone seemed more serious now and Tom bit his tongue for that answer.

"Oh... Yes... Okay..."

"Tom? You weren't even listening to me! It went great, I just wanted to see if you're even listening!"

"I didn't to be honest, Lauren, I'm in a bit of a hurry...", he apologized and rubbed his eyes.

"Come on ask me..."

"Ask you what?"

“Aurora came home this afternoon… 

Tom was obviously embarrassed and wanted to hide how relieved the news made him feel. He scratched his eyebrow with his forefinger and looked sideways at his girlfriends hair. If she turned around at that moment, she would understand everything.

"But they're not sure about-..."

"About what?"

Lauren hesitated and Tom felt a knot in his stomach, which made him fear that he would vomit his breakfast.

"I don't understand much about these things... But the doctors don't know yet if she can have children ever again... I don't know how to say that..."

The woman received no answer, not that she expected it, but anything would be better than that dead silence.

“Call her Tom... She'll be happy to hear from you! I was told that you are very close to her."

The man was having a hard time recovering from the kind of numbness that had suddenly struck him. His gaze was fixed on the ground.

"No, I... Yes... I'll call her... Now I have to go..."  
He pushed the phone away from his lips.

"Hey, I'm not done yet-..."

The woman's voice was stopped by clicking the red button. Tom had no intention of listening to all that for another minute. Wasn't his paranoia about his girlfriend enough?  
So he walked back into the room with ease.

"What did she want?"

“Oh nothing… She wanted to read me a review of our latest work! Always the same…"

He went quickly to the bathroom and felt uncomfortable with the woman's searching gaze.  
"And Aurora... What about her?"

The man froze for a moment, looked at himself in the mirror and saw his most disarmed expression. He recovered immediately and turned on the hot water tap.

"She came home from the hospital..."

"Well..."

"Yes, well..."

He quickly undressed, slipped into the shower, and closed the doors perhaps too loudly to mark the end of the conversation about Aurora.  
His girlfriend would show the way today, she finally had everything she wanted, and no matter how much they fooled each other, they both knew it was their own business too. Now he would have followed her and supported her, he would have taken a step back without giving interviews and would have smiled more than usual in front of the lightning bolts from the cameras.  
Everything that was going on his head right now, about Aurora, his sleepless nights and his incurable guilt had to stay locked in that bathroom.  
So he closed his eyes and focused on the sound of the water, trying to relax as much as possible while his thoughts slowly faded with the tension that had built up in those days.


End file.
